Pouring spouts for containers



Feb. 21, 1956 A. READ POURING SPOUTS FOR CONTAINERS Filed Oct. 5

INVENTOR. 9R THUR E5190 POURING SPOUT FOR CONTAINERS Arthur Read, Portland, Greg, assignor, by nresne assignments, to Floseal Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application October 3, 1951, Serial No. 249,451

1 Claim. (Cl. 229-7) This invention relates to improvements in cartons or containers in which a pouring spout is incorporated in the carton structure.

Heretofore, pouring spouts in cartons have been usually wholly or partially formed from portions of the closure flaps that form the top wall of each carton, and in most instances each spout has had substantially opposed sides and a bottom. United States Letters Patent to Trost, 1,914,543 of June 20, 1933, is one example of this latter type of pouring spout.

The other type of pouring spout has two sides only, forming in cross sectional contour a V-trough, and in this type of spout it has been the usual practice to also employ all or part of the closure flaps of the carton to form the spout. United States Letters Patents to Jones, 1,092,148, April 7, 1914; Spalding, 2,362,942, November 14, 1944, and applicants own patent 1,954,576 of April 10, 1944, are examples of pouring spouts that are substantially entirely formed from closure flaps, while U. S. Patent 1,426,439 of August 22, 1922, to Zalkind shows a V-spout formed from part of a closure flap and part of one side wall of the carton.

One of the difiiculties with all pouring spouts in which the closure flaps are involved is the interference between the spout structure and the carton filling mechanism. Another diiiiculty is the failure of the flaps to properly register in the formation of the cartons, thus making it difficult, and sometimes impossible, to swing the spout to and from pouring position. Still another difliculty that is particularly objectionable in the V spouts is that heretofore they have been formed at or closely adjacent to one of the upper corners of the carton, thereby greatly weakening the carton structure at a point where it should be strong and rigid. Other objections have been found in conventional pouring spout structures, and in prior disclosures, which include the difiiculties of; swinging the spout to and from open position, and of insuring a tight seal when the pouring spout is closed, and of securing the sides of the trough or spout against swinging toward each other under the influence of pressure thereagainst when the spout is opened, and of economically and accurately forming and positioning the spout for satisfactory operation.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of a pouring spout and carton structure that overcomes the aoove difiiculties and objections.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the description and in the drawings.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of the side of a carton having the present spout structure with the pouring spout in closed position.

Fig. 2 is a view of the structure of Fig. 1 from inside the box or carton, the top and two opposed side walls of the carton being in cross section.

Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to that of Fig. l but with the spout in pouring position.

ates atent 2,735,605 Patented Feb. 21, 1956 Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the pouring spout side of a carton with the spout closed.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to that of Fig. 4 with the spout open.

In detail, the carton shown in the drawings has lateral side walls 1, 2, 3, 4 and a top 5 and a bottom wall. The top and bottom walls may be formed in the usual man ner by a plurality of closure flaps respectively secured to the edges of the side walls and folded to overlying relationship, or said top and bottom walls may be formed in any other suitable manner. Insofar as this invention is concerned, the top and bottom closure flaps or walls are of no concern.

In outside side wall 1 (or in any of the other outside side walls) a substantially triangular or sector-shaped portion 6 is provided, which portion is spaced inwardly from the edges of said side wall.

Two of the edges 7, 8 of said portion 6 extend radially upwardly and divergently from a point 9 where they intersect to form a lower acute angle. Along line 8 the portion 6 is integral with the wall 1, and along line 7, the portion is cut from the wall 1 and is readily detachable from said wall. Also the curved edge 10 of portion 6 that is opposite point 9 and that extends between the ends of edges 7, 8 is cut from the wall 1 and is readily detachable therefrom. Either or both of these edges 7, it) may be wholly cut from the .wall 6 or may be tacked to the wall 6 by one or more short breakable portions 11. When the cut away portion 6 is swung outwardly, a generally triangular opening is formed in the outside wall 1 having a lower acute angle.

At the juncture between edges 7, 10, the portion 6 may be formed with a tab 12 that is easily pulled outwardly of wall 1 for swinging the portion 6 outwardly along edge 8, and a folding .crease is formed along said edge 3 providing a hinge line along said edge to facilitate such swinging.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that upon pulling the portion 6 outwardly of the carton wall 1 by tab 12, the said portion may be swung to a position extending substantially perpendicularly to wall 1, and when in this position and with the carton upright, the said portion will be disposed in a plane that is at the same angle relative to vertical as the edge 8.

It is also pertinent to note that the carton is not weakened along any of the junctures between any two adjacent walls of the carton or at any of the corners. This is very important inasmuch as heretofore attempts to provide a pouring spout having a generally V-shaped cross sectional contour have resulted in weakening the carton along the juncture between two or more of the walls of the carton, and it has also heretofore been usual to employ a portion of one or more of the top closure flaps or such portion in conjunction with one or more of the side Walls of the carton in order to form a V- shaped spout.

In forming the present spout, a blank 15 may be used, which blank may be rectangular, as shown, and is formed with a sector shaped section 16 (Fig. 2) that is defined by radially extending edges 17, 18 each of which is integral with the adjoining portions of the blank and a folding crease is coincidental with each such edge there by providing a hinge line at 18 and a fold line at 17.

This section 16 is glued or cemented to the inner side of cut away portion 6 and the folding creases 17, 18; are respectively aligned with and substantially coincidental with the edges 7, 8 of portion 6, hence the point of intersection 19 of edges 17, 18 is aligned with point 9 at the intersection between edges 7, 8.

The curved outer edge 20 of section 16 is preferably concentric with edge 10, but is spaced inwardly of said latter edge (toward point 19) a slight distance.

The section 16 is cut free from the blank along a line of severance that is coincidental with said edge 20 and adjacent to the outer end of the folding crease 17 (which crease also defines one edge of section 16) the curved edge 10, or line of severance, extends angularly outwardly as at 23 (Fig. 2), relative to hinge line or crease 18 and to the lower acute angle of the generally triangular opening in outside wall 1, to intersecting relation to the edge 7 of said opening.

Adjoining the section 16 is a substantially sector shaped section 25, that is integrally joined to the sector shaped section 16 along folding crease 17, and said crease therefore defines one of the radially extending edges of both section 16 and section 25, and it divides the closure spout structure that includes sections 16, 25 into an inner wing, that constitutes the section 16, and an outer wing, that is the section 25.

The other radially extending edge 26 of the outer wing 25 also extends away from the central point 19, but it is preferably slightly convexly curved in linear contour which curve is more defined or abrupt adjacent to said point.

The outer curved edge 27 of wing 25 is formed about point 19 as the center to about point 28 which is near the outer end of edge 26 and from this point on, the outer edge of said wing may be tangential to the circular linear contour of edge 27, thus forming an end portion 29 on section 25 that projects outwardly of a circular line that is coincidental with the circulary extending edge 27.

Edges 26 and 27 are out free from the rest of blank 15 and the wing 25 is unsecured to the side wall 1, whereas the rest of the blank 15, with the exception of the portion overlapped by tab 12 and the part along edge 20 that overlaps the marginal portion of portion 6, may also be secured to the wall 1.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the inside wall 15 has a continuous line of severance forming a flat spout forming closure supported along the crease or hinge line 18 that is coincident with one side 8 of the lower acute angle defined by the edges of the triangular opening in the outside wall 1.

The blank 1 is also cut away outwardly of the tab 12 for a short distance (Fig. 1) thus providing a space or recess 30 in which the outer end of a persons finger nail may be inserted to facilitate engagement with said tab to pull the latter outwardly. The blank 15, of course, covers said space, and there is no place along the line of severance of the inner and outer wings and the edges of portion 6, 16 and 25 where any of said edges are coincidental, therefore the package is tightly sealed along all of said edges by overlapping portions of wall 1 (including portion 6) and inside wall 15.

Any internal pressure against the portion 6 tending to force it outwardly is equalled by corresponding pressure against wing 25, retaining the inner and outer wings 16, 25 coplanar with inside wall 15, and unless the wings 16, 25 can bend relative to each other along the crease 17, the wing 16 cannot be moved outwardly.

The side wall 3, or 4 of the carton, may of course, have the wall 15 as an integral extension thereof. Fig. 9 in copending application Serial No. 188,229 filed by me October 3, 1950, illustrates such structure, but with another type of spout.

The provision of the wings 16, 25 in coplanar relationship with wall 15 when the carton is ready for filling, enables the carton to be filled by standard filling ap paratus Without interference with the latter. Also there is nothing to interfere with the rapid sealing of the closure flaps by conventional equipment and the successful operation of the pouring spout is not in any way dependent upon the maintaining of accuracy in the positions of said closure flaps relative to each other or to any of the walls of the carton.

In order to bring the pouring spout into operating position, the operator merely pulls tab 12 outwardly, and the wing 16, which is secured to portion 6 swings outwardly of the wall 1 along crease or hinge lines 8, 18 which are substantially coincidental with each other.

Upon the above swinging movement, the wing 25 will bend along fold line 17 and will move through the generally triangular opening that is left in wall 1 of the carton by the outward swinging of portion 6, and said wing 25 will be supported and guided along the slanted edge of said opening by the natural tendency of the said wing 25 to tend to swing back to coplanar relationship with wing 16. Any internal pressure of the contents of the carton against wing 25 tending to swing its free edge 27 toward the wing 16 is prevented by the fact that the edge 27 is guided and rides in the notch 32 resulting from the angularly extending edge 23 at the juncture between edges 20, 27 (Fig. 3).

Sections 16, 25 will move to substantially right angle relationship to each other as seen in Figs. 3 and 5 when the spout is in pouring position, and the end portion 29 of wing 25 forms a stop against accidental withdrawal of the wing 25 from within the carton, and from the notch 32 upon moving the spout to pouring position, and the gradual frictional resistance between the edge 28 along portion 29 and the bottom of notch 32 as the pouring spout moves to its fully extended position tends to hold the spout in said position until it is pushed back to its original position.

Upon the spout being moved back to its original position within the carton, the marginal portion of portion 6 including tab 12 will overlap the portion of wall 15 along edge 20 of the wing 16 to seal the opening for said spout against objectionable ingress of air or the entrance of insects, dust and the like.

It is apparent that no material within the carton can escape along creases 8, 18 when the spout is being moved to extended, pouring position, and as the wing 25, which forms the side of the spout that slides through the opening in wall 1 is held in notch 32 and against the edge of said opening, the only possible place for said material to be discharged is into said spout, therefore there is no unintentional nor undesirable leakage of said material.

The preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings. It is not intended that the invention should necessarily be restricted to this precise form. The use of a fifth wall or wall portion on the carton instead of blank 15 has been mentioned. The material of blank 15, or the equivalent, around wing 25 and extending fully across portion 6 would not be absolutely necessary and the upper edge of tab 12 may be substantially a continuation of edge 10 as long as the portion 6 projects above the line of severance of the pouring spout closure. Other modifications could be made and still come within the scope of the invention and claim appended hereto.

I claim:

A carton having an outside wall cut away to provide a generally triangular opening formed with an acute lower angle, an inside wall secured to and against the inner side of said outside wall relative to the inside of said carton and having a continuous line of severance forming a flat spout forming closure supported along a hinge line coincident with one side of said acute angle for swinging through said opening, said closure having a fold line substantially aligned with the other side of said acute angle dividing said closure into an outer and an inner wing, said outer wing being in lapping relation to but free from the part of said outside wall along said other side of said acute angle, said line of severance extending from said hinge line over said triangular opening along and spaced slightly below the upper edge of said opening that is opposite to said lower angle, said line of severance, as it approaches said other side of said acute angle and at a point within said opening extending angularly outwardly relative to said hinge line and to said acute angle and intersecting the edge of said opening at said other side of said acute angle forming a notch with the edge of said opening that is opposite to said hinge line wherein upon swinging the closure outwardly through said opening the edge of said outer wing along said line of severance will ride, the portion of said outside wall cut away to form said triangular opening being secured to said inner wing of the closure and having a 10 marginal portion thereof projecting above the upper edge of said inner wing forming a pull tab secured to said closure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Zalkind Aug. 22, 1922 Groner May 21, 1929 Vincent July 9, 1935 Reiter June 24, 1941 Morrison July 15, 1941 Ringler Sept. 19, 1944 Rous June 26, 1945 Bord Apr. 14, 1953 

